Snake in the grass

It was just another day for Russell Burris and his helper when they came upon a large rattlesnake while building fence north of Highway 380, west of Capitan. The two worked together to bring the well-fed reptile to a timely end. Just two days prior, the pair had killed another, even larger rattlesnake. Burris isn't the only Lincoln County resident to have more than one run-in with snakes this summer. A local rancher reports 17 rattlers have been seen in the northeastern part of Lincoln County.